Adolph



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Ano'LPrI o. SOHULZ, or LA sALLE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TOGEORGE ORSINGER AND WILLIAM M. WAGNER, 0F sAME PLACE.

MANUFACTURE OF CEMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 368,552, dated August16, 1887.

Application filed July 19, 1886. Serial No. 208,461. (Specimens) To allwhom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ADOLPH C. SOHULZ, of La Salle, in the county of LaSalle and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Manufacturing Cement and increasing its power ofresisting the action of air, moisture, and frost; and I do herebydeclare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

Heretofore cement has been more or less pervious to air and water ormoisture, and 0wing to this fact frost has a disintegrating effect uponit. y

The object of my invention is to render cement impervious to air ormoisture,and thus enable it to resist the action of frost or change oftemperature; and to this end my invention consists in saturating theclay, soil, sand, or any silicious earth with carbonaceous gas orcarbonaceous gases produced in any form from carbonaceous substancesprevious to mixing it with lime or other calcareous earth to form acement.

To carry my invention into effect the carbonaceous gas may be forcedthrough or into a quantity of the earth by means of any instrumentalityemploying fire or heat in connection with any carbonaceous bituminoussubstance in such manner as not to burn it, but to drive the gas out ofsuch substance and cause it to percolatethe mass of earth covering thecarbonaceous material while the heat is applied; but the bestinstrumentality for this purpose which I have used is a fire-proofretort, magazine, or oven made to contain two or more cubio yards. Suchmagazine is charged with the carbonaceous material, as coal or Wood,&c., and the soil, clay, or earth to be treated, placing the formerbelow the latter, or between it and the point where the fire or heat isto be applied-on the outside of the magazine.

The fire or heat may be applied all around the magazine on the outside,and in such case the carbonaceous substance and the earth should bemixed well together. I prefer to place the carbonaceous material in thebottom of the magazine and cover it with the earth and apply the fire orheat below the magazine,

in order to prevent the escape of the gas as much as possible.

Instead of burning the carbonaceous material, I prefer to heat itsufficient to generate carbonaceous gas, but not to a degree which wouldcause its combustion. Combustion of the carbonaceous material isimpossible so long as no air can strike it. The heat penetrating fromthe outside into the interior of the magazine simply causes them togenerate the gases, and the earth absorbs the gases as they rise,preventing also their escape. I desire, therefore, to prevent thecombustion of the carbonaceous materials, as well as the escape andcombustion of the gas in the manner stated. The magazine prevents anydirect contact of fire with the carbonaceous material, and as the heatdrives out the gas the latter percolates or diffuses itself through themass of surrounding or adjacent earth and adheres to the earthparticles.

One part of soft coal to three parts bulk of earth confined in themagazine and heated to a degree and for a time sufficient to coke thecoal, or about one part of hard wood to about two parts bulk of earthconfined in the magazine,- and heated to a degree and for a timesufficient to reduce the wood to charcoal,would effectually carry outthe invention and sufficiently saturate the earth with carbonaceous gasto produce the desired effect. After being thus treated the earth istaken out of the magazinc and separated from the remains of thecarbonaceous material which have not been converted into gas, and whencold and dry it is ready for use. If it contains any lumps, they shouldbe pulverized. The nature of the soil is thus changed. The carbonaceousgas penetrates the earth particles. That part of the carbonaceoussubstance which ordinarily condenses as tar or soot is thus thoroughlydistributed through and mixed with the treated earthy When mixed withwater or moistened with other liquids or by any process, it will becomeplastic, and when mixedwith lime or any calcareous substance and exposedto the atmosphere of dry or warm temperature it will dry about the sameas mortar made from sand and lime. In the course of a few hours it willbe covered with a hardened scum on the surface, which will prevent theair or water or moisture from penetrating it. The earth thus treated andkept dry may be kept or preserved for use indefinitely.

Any clay, soil, sand, or silicious earth thus saturated withcarbonaceous gas may be moistened and stirred intoaplastic mass, whichcan be used while in a plastic condition for all the purposes of mortarmade of lime and sand, and will turn water and moisture, and is notliable to the disintegrating effect of frost. A lump of this preparationmay be kept in water indefinitely without dissolving. Its bindingqualities, however, are not sufficientwithout the addition of lime orother calcareous material to form a cement which will stand greatpressure. By mixing earth thus treated with slaked lime or othercalcareous earth by wetting and working or stirring them well togetherin the same manner and in the proportion that sand is mixed with lime inmaking common mortar a cement is formed which is a perfect safeguardagainst moisture, being absolutely impervious to air, water, or moisturein the course of three or four hours from the time of its application.

A mixture made of thirty parts, in bulk, of common sand, six to sevenand a half partsof slaked lime, and six to seven and ahalf parts ofclay, soil, or other earth thus treated with carbonaceous gases, beingwet with water and stirred together to the plastic consistency of commonmortar, will form a very good and hard concrete, insoluble in water.

I am aware of patent to Hislop, No. 217,377,

of July 8, 1879, for revivifying spent lime, and also of the patent toSmith, No. 101,173, of March-22, 1870, for limekiln. The process shownin these patents does not produce the result secured by my invention.vThe matter there treated is different from that treated by me, and theend is different. The process also differs from mine in this, that theproducts of combustion or furnace gases, as there used, being theproduct of the direct action of fire upon the carbonaceous material, aresubstantially wanting in the bituminous element,whereas the carbonaceousgas as produced and used by me has this element in very largeproportion; also the manner in which the products of combustion orfurnace gases of said patents are applied is such as to carry off fromthe lime the sulphur and'also the bituminous portion of the gas, whereasthe bituminous part of the carbonaceous gas, as applied by me, isretained by and combined with the soil, 85c.

Having thus fully described myinvention, what I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. The herein-described process ofpreparing soil, clay, or silicious earth,which consists in saturatingthe same with the gases from bituminous carbon by confining such earthwith any bituminous carbonaceous substance and subjecting the whole toheat of sufficient degree and for a sufficient time to drive such gasesout of such substance and cause them to be diffused throughout the massof earth, substantially as specified.

2. A cement composed of about thirty parts, in bulk, of sand, aboutseven parts slaked lime, and about seven parts soil, &c., saturated withcarbon gas in the manner described,

the whole being mixed with water and stirred 7 5 to the consistency ofcommon mortar, sub stantially as specified.

ADOLPH C. SOHULZ. Witnesses:

WM. P. HALLORAN, S. P. HALL.

